Personal two way communications devices are becoming ever more popular. The use of cellular telephones is becoming more and more a part of everyday life, and the use of cordless telephone devices continues to increase. Also, the introduction of family radio services two way radios into the market place has greatly increased the popularity and usage of two way radios.
It has long been known in the industry to use a headset device for producing sound from such devices such that the user can hear the sound while others thereabout cannot. Also, an advantage of headset devices in general is that ambient noises are somewhat blocked while the desired sound is projected generally directly into the ear canal of the user. Therefore, the user can hear the desired sound even over significant ambient noise.
A more recent development in the field has been the introduction of earpiece devices into the market. An earpiece performs the general functions of a headset while being less bulky and obtrusive. An earpiece is affixed generally on or in one ear of the user. A sound producing earpiece may be used in conjunction with a separate microphone or sound pick up device, or else a microphone may optionally be incorporated into the earpiece such that a single apparatus will both convert the audio voice signals from the user into an electrical signal and also covert electrical signals from an attached device into audio signals intended to be heard by the user.
Another development in the field has been to provide a flexible connection between a main earpiece body and a portion of the earpiece which fits in or near the ear canal of the user. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/870,398 entitled PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS EARPIECE, and assigned to the assignee of this present application, teaches an example of such an earpiece.
It has been known to construct an earpiece with a separate sound delivery means that places a small speaker in an enclosure at the opening of the ear canal and which connects the speaker to a behind-the-ear member with a flexible two conductor electrical cable. Also known in the art are earpieces which place a speaker inside a behind-the-ear member, and which funnel sound produced by the speaker through a small diameter tube with an open end of the tube in the user's ear canal. Both of these types of construction have proven effective and useful for their intended purposes. However, with the increased use of cellular telephones, and the like, many users wish to keep their earpiece on their ear for all or most of the working day. Such extended periods of usage make desirable an even more comfortable and adaptable type of earpiece.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,235 entitled SEATING MEMBER FOR CONNECTING A CONTINUOUS FLOW EARMOLD TUBING CONNECTOR TO AN EARMOLD teaches a communication device sound delivery tube system which can be used in either ear. However, this patent teaches the use of a tube which is placed inside the ear canal. Many people find this to be a solution which is useful for short periods of time, but which may be uncomfortable, especially when used for extended periods of time. Indeed, since the invention of the '235 patent is intended for use with a hearing aid, it is considered to be necessary that the earpiece generally entirely occlude the ear canal of the user. Otherwise, the high gain of the hearing aid amplifier would cause feedback of the sound “leaking” out of the user's ear. Therefore, there are several important aspects of the '235 invention which make it particularly useful for hearing aid applications, but particularly inappropriate for applications such as cellular telephone usage. That is, since the earpiece according to the '235 patent is supported within the ear canal of the user, there need be no particular means for holding the distal end thereof in a fixed position relative to the ear canal, nor does the '235 patent teach such a means. It should be noted that the '235 patent does teach an apparatus which is highly adjustable in a rotational sense, which is particularly desirable since the fully occluding earpiece necessary to the intended application tends to be quite uncomfortable over time, and that adjustment should help to alleviate that discomfort. However, the relatively complex mechanism of that apparatus still does not provide for a full three dimensional adjustment.
Like the '235 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,183 entitled AMBIDEXTROUS SOUND DELIVERY SYSTEM teaches a communication device sound delivery tube system which is adjustable such that it can be used in either ear. Also like the '235 patent, the device taught and claimed in the '183 patent does not provide any means for the adjustment of the distal portion thereof fully in all axes of rotation.
Yet another prior art device which has provided an improvement in the field is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,610 entitled EARPIECE FOR A TELEPHONE HEADSET. However, even though the invention of the '610 patent is intended for use with a telephone set, a “sound tip” of that invention has its distal portion inserted well into the ear, and a remainder of the tip portion supported by the outer ear. In this invention, also, although there is no aspect which provides for adjustment in all three physical dimensions, there would seem to be no particular need for such adjustment since the ear of the user, itself, provides much of the support. In addition, the invention taught by the '610 patent is a highly ear occluding device, which inherently positions the delivery end of the mechanism and minimizes any need for adjustability.
Still another prior art device is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,183 entitled AMBIDEXTROUS SOUND DELIVERY TUBE SYSTEM, which patented invention has an inventor in common with this present invention. As with the previously discussed invention, while the '183 invention provides an improvement in the field, the earpiece thereof can be rotated, but there is generally no other significant adjustment provided by the described apparatus.
Also known in the art is an earphone type device for use in applications where it is important to keep conversations from being overheard by others. This device has a speaker apparatus which is clipped below the collar, and wherein sound is delivered through a long tube to the ear. The tube of this device is tipped with an earmold shaped end. The earmold is nearly totally occluding, so the sound is unnatural, and for comfort the earmold must be custom shaped for the individual user's ear which is generally not a desirable feature for a consumer product.
Prior art also includes other hearing health devices, for use by hearing impaired persons, or the like, which provide sound delivery to the ear through a tube. As discussed briefly herein before, unlike a communication only device, these products employ high acoustic gain and, therefore, require high occlusion to prevent feedback “squeal”. High occlusion is achieved through custom earmolds or nearly occluding foam tips on the ends of the tubes, but such high occlusion makes the sound of the user's own voice very unnatural and disturbing to the user.
Also known in the art are headset devices whereby sound is delivered to the ear through a tube from a speaker at the chest.
To the inventors' knowledge, the above described types of earpieces represent the prior state of the art in earpiece comfort. It is believed that prior art devices, while being useful for their intended purposes, have not provided a solution wherein user comfort, sound quality, feedback prevention, and other desirable qualities are found without significant sacrifice of at least one of these qualities in favor of another.